You Always Do
by Serene Cullen
Summary: Alice returns to Wonderland and is inspired to work on her buisness even more and with the help of a certain Mad Hatter everything runs smoothly. AliceXHatter


You Always Do

_Alice drank the vile of Jabberwocky blood and then turned to address the Hatter's previous question. Alice stamped her foot childishly at Hatter and flashed him her best angry face. "You seem so sure I will forget you," she said to the crazed man "but how can you be so sure?"_

"_Because you do every time," Hatter whispered._

"_What do you mean every time?" Alice said as she began to disappear "I've only been once before."_

"_And that my dear is what I mean, you've been here multiple times, and even the time you remember it took you forever to remember." Hatter reached out and gently stroked Alice's cheek "I look forward to the day you return. At that time I will ask you a very important question, and I will expect nothing except the truth from you, do you understand Alice?" _

"_Of course I understand but,"_

Before Alice could finish she woke up from her dream and went to dress. She got dressed to go and meet Lord Ascot for breakfast in order to discuss the course of trade the company would take.

Alice had found that ever since she had begun to have that dream about the crazy world and the mad man with a wonderfully odd hat she had taken a liking to the color blue. She pulled out one of her many new blue dresses, it was a lovely one with ribbons running down the sleeves and a dark blue ribbon acting as a belt tied around her waist. She pulled up two strands of her blonde hair, one on each side and tied light and dark blue ribbons around them to keep them in place. She pulled high white lace up boots on and then exited her room and got into the back of her stage coach. "Lord Ascot's manor please," her accent sounded heavy as she spoke to her driver.

Alice also found that since her dream she had become less and less aware of what others had thought of her. She sat in the carriage as it traveled the bumpy path, she felt very close to her dream, even on the obsessed side. As she arrived at the house she stepped off of the carriage, her mother had opted to stay at home, having nothing to do with the business anymore.

She stepped into the study and sat down in one of the cushion chairs and folded her hands on her lap. "The Lord Ascot will be a moment more Miss Alice," Hamish was acting as his father's butler; he stood in the doorway and stared at Alice for a very long time.

Alice rose to her feet "please tell your father I will meet him out in the garden Hamish, thank you." Alice got up from her seat and went out to the rose garden. She wandered the garden and was drawn up towards a certain tree. Alice followed her senses and was about to run up the hill she was drawn to but remembered she was supposed to meet Lord Ascot here. She puzzled for a moment and then took her ribbons out of her hair and looked around for something to write with. She found a small pen and wrote in elegant script on the ribbon 'be back soon.' Alice tied the ribbon to a tree branch that hung at eye level.

She ran up the hill that she had been drawn to and saw a huge tree. She walked around the tree and saw a large hole at the side. She got on her hands and knees and looked down into the hole cautiously, she scooted closer to the hole but all she saw was darkness. The dirt crumbled beneath her and she fell into the hole, as she fell Alice screamed. After she finally hit the ground Alice saw her hair hovering above her head, she stared at it curiously then looked at the ceiling, a table and chair were hanging upside down from the ceiling, suddenly Alice realized it was not them that were upside down but her. At her realization she fell to the real floor. She looked around and saw several doors, Alice walked up to each one in turn and tried to twist the knob, each was locked. She looked over to the table and saw a key on the table, she sighed and leaned against a wall staring at the key, her hand brushed against a curtain, startled she moved it aside and saw a small door. Her mind flashed to her dream and she grabbed the key and the bottle that said 'drink me' she swallowed some of it and she shrunk. She took some of her ribbons and tied them together to make some sort of dress. Keeping the key in hand she walked under the table and grabbed the little bit of pastry that said 'eat me' she took a ribbon and made a backpack for it and carried it with her as well. She ran over to the small door and twisted the key dragging her dress behind her.

Alice ran threw the door and she took a well balanced bite of the growing pastry and returned to her normal size. She slipped into the dress she had dragged threw the door with her.

"Alice?" the rabbit asked in shock.

"Alice!" the flowers all chorused happily together.

"Hello," she waved at them as she ran past the forest area "tweedles," she acknowledged as she ran past the two brothers. She didn't stop at the fork in the road to look at the signs instead she ran the way she knew he was. She jumped over the vines and reached the crazy table. She stopped and breathed heavily as she looked at it, her heart fell drastically as she stared at the empty tea table. She walked over to the head of the table and gently pulled his chair out, the chair she remembered so well, she sighed heavily and sat down in it. She curled up in the chair and picked up the tea cup in front of it, she cradled it gently in her hands.

"Who on earth is touching my tea cup and sitting in my seat?" she sprung up at the sound of his voice and gently returned his cup to its proper place. "Alice," his voice was filled with amazement and care.

"Hatter!" she screamed and jumped on him hugging him tightly. He placed his arms gently around her waist and held her delicate frame. "Oh Hatter I've missed you so."

"I'm surprised you remember me in all honesty."

She smiled at him coyly and used his own words against him "I always do."

He smiled down at her fondly "shall we take you to see the queen?"

"Actually I do need to return to my world again."

He sighed "you always do."

"Yes but you should come with me this time, won't you please?

Hatter sighed and released Alice's waist, "I'm sorry Alice but you know I can't."

Alice stood and thought for a moment "I have an idea, I'll have to leave one more time, but before I go is it allowed for normal people to venture into wonderland?"

"There is no rule that prohibits it why?"

"It's a surprise, but I have to do one thing." He looked confused, Alice pulled out the veil that would transport her back to her own world. She took a sip of the veil then she sucked in a deep breathe and then reached up on her tip toes and kissed the Hatter. He was tense against her as she locked her arms around his neck. He seemed to find his wits and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close as well. Soon though she vanished and was returned to her own world. She took a deep breath and walked over to the garden where she saw Lord Ascot waiting for her.

"Forgive me for making you wait so long Lord Ascot but I believe I have something that could help promote our business even more, I have an amazing thing to show you." Alice led Lord Ascot over to the tree and then down the hole.

FF 1 Month

"Before we leave does everybody have their small outfits?" Alice asked her group of ten. Everyone nodded and Alice led the group down the hole, then they all drank the shrinking potion and changed into their small outfits, they grabbed a piece of pastry and everyone drug their old larger clothes through the door. Alice walked to each person and gave them the correct amount of pastry to get them to their normal size again. As everyone, including Alice, was returned to their normal size they redressed and gathered around for the next part of the tour of Wonderland. "Tweedles," Alice summoned "the two brothers will be your tour guides though Underland, or as I prefer Wonderland." The group smiled and followed the brothers, whispers spread through the group as a crazy man with red hair and an awesome hat made his way through the group.

"I've missed you Alice," Hatter said as he bent down and captured her lips with his own.

Alice smiled "I've missed you too Hatter and I'm so happy to be back, the business has really taken off and it's been hard to come back and forth."

"I imagine so but the White Queen and I were talking and we've set up for you and I to build a house near here so you can regulate the amount of pastry the customers take but you don't have to leave anymore," the Hatter said.

Alice smiled ear to ear and hugged Hatter; he spun her around and then set her back on the floor. "I told you I would be back," she said to him from her place on the floor.

"You always do," Hatter said smiling down at her. "Now that question I had for you, Alice, my dear."

"Yes?" she answered.

He slipped down to one knee and took both of her hands in his; she felt a blazing hot blush encroach upon her face. "Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife under the White Queen?"

"I would love to Hatter," and with that she kissed him square on the lips.

And so it came to pass that Alice ran her business with the Hatter and everyone else in Wonderland's help and she and the Hatter were married under the White Queen and had a baby girl who grew up to be a mad inventor, like all good people are.


End file.
